Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a knitted collar with stays and a method of manufacturing such a collar.
It is desirable to wear an open collar shirt of knitted fabric material at different times because it is particularly comfortable to wear. However, the somewhat casual appearance afforded by it restricts its use on occasions when a somewhat neater appearance is desired. One reason for this is the collar, which by virtue of being made of knitted fabric, tends to wrinkle and does not look neat.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,286,278 to T. R. O'Connor addresses this problem and proposes as a solution inserting plastic stays in cooperating pockets located at the edges of the collar which bound the front neck opening of the shirt. Using stay techniques, as also exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,286,337 to Malouf, Jr., the knitted collar is knitted with pockets having end openings through which the plastic stays are inserted and, after which, are stitched closed.
One problem of the prior art is that the stay tends to move in the pocket, because it is shorter than the pocket. The reason for the stay to be shorter than the pocket is to allow for the natural curve of the collar.
Another problem of the prior art is that the stay cannot be removed once it is closed in the pocket. Sometimes it is desirable to remove the stay before cleaning/washing the shirt at a temperature that distorts the shape of the plastic stay.